1900-S 50C MS65 认证号19806514, PCGS号6488

CAC. Heritage. One of only a few MS 65 coins in our set, the lowest grade remaining among the set, after much upgrading over the years. The 1900-S issue is very hard to find at or above MS 65, and is an unsung difficult issue in the series. Only four have been graded finer by PCGS. That makes this coin a very elusive issue in MS 65 or better. This one is a toned example with nice surfaces and with luster, and overall covered by light toning. This coin was bought in an old first generation PCGS holder from a Heritage Auction. The image shows the coin's surfaces nicely. The last of the three issues exported to the Philippines, and like the 98-S and 99-S is hard to find since so many were sent away and were circulated. This is not an easy date to find in gem and better. A date that might have been saved with the change from 1899 to 1900, but numbers of surviving mint state specimens does not bear out such a notion. There seem to be no more saved for the 1900 issues than for the 1899 issues. This was in the middle of the series, the novelty of the new design had worn off, and the value of a half dollar was such that most people used the coins in commerce and didn't save them.

Ron Guth

The 1900-S Half Dollar is semi-scarce but far from being an unheralded rarity.  Mint State example can be found with relative ease in MS63 and MS64.  In MS65 and higher, the profiles of the 1900-O and 1900-S are nearly identical with one notable exception  -- the 1900-S is represented by a single PCGS MS67+ whereas the 1900-O is unknown above MS66.

Not all 1900-S Half Dollars are well-struck.  Pay particular attention to the upper right shield and adjacent feathers.  The goal should be full, horizontal lines in the shield and full feather details.  However, the quality of the strike seems to have little impact on 1900-S Half Dollars.  Hardly any discounts apply to weaker coins and very little premiums are attached to well-struck coins -- yet...

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David Akers

The 1900-S is one of the unheralded rarities of the Barber Half Dollar series. It actually ranks in the top 20% of the series in terms of overall mint state rarity and Gems are especially elusive, very similar actually to Gems of the 1900-O issue.